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On the Apparel of Women

Tertullian

Book 2 · Chapter 12

About this work

Author: Tertullian

Chapter XII.—Such Outward Adornments Meretricious, and Therefore Unsuitable to Modest Women.

Let us only wish that we may be no cause for

‹ Book 2 · Chapter 11 Book 2 · Chapter 13 ›

just

blasphemy

!

But

how

much

more

provocative

of

blasphemy

is

it

that

you

,

who

are

called

modesty’s

priestesses

,

should

appear

in

public

decked

and

painted

out

after

the

manner

of

the

immodest

?

Else

,

(

if

you

so

do

,

)

what

inferiority

would

the

poor

unhappy

victims

of

the

public

lusts

have

(

beneath

you

)

?

whom

,

albeit

some

laws

were

(

formerly

)

wont

to

restrain

them

from

(

the

use

of

)

matrimonial

and

matronly

decorations

,

now

,

at

all

events

,

the

daily

increasing

depravity

of

the

age

has

raised

so

nearly

to

an

equality

with

all

the

most

honourable

women

,

that

the

difficulty

is

to

distinguish

them

.

And

yet

,

even

the

Scriptures

suggest

(

to

us

the

reflection

)

,

that

meretricious

attractivenesses

of

form

are

invariably

conjoined

with

and

appropriate

to

bodily

prostitution

.

That

powerful

state

which

presides

over

the

seven

mountains

and

very

many

waters

,

has

merited

from

the

Lord

the

appellation

of

a

prostitute

.

But

what

kind

of

garb

is

the

instrumental

mean

of

her

comparison

with

that

appellation

?

She

sits

,

to

be

sure

,

“

in

purple

,

and

scarlet

,

and

gold

,

and

precious

stone

.

”

How

accursed

are

the

things

without

(

the

aid

of

)

which

an

accursed

prostitute

could

not

have

been

described

!

It

was

the

fact

that

Thamar

“

had

painted

out

and

adorned

herself

”

that

led

Judah

to

regard

her

as

a

harlot

,

and

thus

,

because

she

was

hidden

beneath

her

“

veil

,

”

—

the

quality

of

her

garb

belying

her

as

if

she

had

been

a

harlot

,

—

he

judged

(

her

to

be

one

)

,

and

addressed

and

bargained

with

(

her

as

such

)

.

Whence

we

gather

an

additional

confirmation

of

the

lesson

,

that

provision

must

be

made

in

every

way

against

all

immodest

associations

and

suspicions

.

For

why

is

the

integrity

of

a

chaste

mind

defiled

by

its

neighbour’s

suspicion

?

Why

is

a

thing

from

which

I

am

averse

hoped

for

in

me

?

Why

does

not

my

garb

pre

-

announce

my

character

,

to

prevent

my

spirit

from

being

wounded

by

shamelessness

through

(

the

channel

of

)

my

ears

?

Grant

that

it

be

lawful

to

assume

the

appearance

of

a

modest

woman

:

to

assume

that

of

an

immodest

is

,

at

all

events

,

not

lawful

.

Notes

1
Sæculi.
2
Debita.
3
Or, “city.”
4
Or, “sits on high above.”
5
Comp. Rev. xvii.
6
Comp. Gen. xxxviii. 12–30.
7
Congressus.
8
Videri pudicam.